KINGSPORT — Pink was the color of choice Tuesday night at Indian Highland Park as the Dobyns-Bennett girls soccer team opened its 2009 season.

Scattered amongst the crowd were pink shirts and dresses — while pink balloons took flight in honor of breast cancer survivors and victims. On the field, pink jerseys displaced the Lady Indians’ customary white and maroon.

“This is great,” Indians coach Shane Calvert said. “It’s a great cause to be involved with. We’re just glad to have been a part of it all.”

It took some time for Calvert’s side to settle Tuesday night. Once the Tribe did, it displayed all the tools — incisive movement, intricate passing — that vaulted it into the TSSAA Class AAA semifinals a season ago.

The Indians return all but two key pieces from that team. A pair of returnees kicked off their final seasons at D-B with hat tricks.

Seniors Kate Jones and Katie Clark bagged three goals apiece. All of Clark’s arrived in the first half. Jones struck twice before intermission — both sizzling efforts from beyond the penalty area — before adding a third three minutes into the second half.

“Like I said last year, we want to climb the ladder every game,” Calvert said. “It wasn’t exactly what we were looking for, but it turned out well. We’ve just got to keep climbing that ladder.”

Goals from Amy Oreskovic and Kara Brockwell bookended a five-goal barrage from the Tribe midway through the opening half. All five came during a 10-minute span that alluded to the potential of D-B’s latest edition.

Kenzie Maddox capped the Indians’ scoring in the 66th minute.

Afterward, Calvert could not wait to speak on the performance of Brockwell, his new captain — not just Tuesday’s effort, mind you, but during the offseason as well.

“I can’t tell you how much Kara has improved,” Calvert said. “She worked her tail off this summer. She has gone from being a good outside midfielder to a phenomenal center mid.

“She has a wonderful spirit about her. She has all the traits of being a great leader.”

Though the final score would suggest otherwise, Boone made a good account of itself.

Disciplined, the Lady Trailblazers nearly took a shock lead just 10 minutes into the match.

Jennine Duncan broke behind the Indians’ backline — thanks in part to some miscommunication — and beat D-B keeper Lauren McInturff only to have her strike ricochet off the near post.

“You have fat posts here at D-B,” joked Boone coach Steve Sessis. “That just happens. She had a great shot, it just missed by that much.”

The Lady ’Blazers finally broke through in the 76th, through Amber O’Laughlin.

“We’re much improved,” Sessis said. “We played them hard for the first 25 minutes, but their passing ability and speed wore us down.